Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces Request for Vendors to Build New Child Care Family Portal and Case Management System

BOSTON — The Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) has opened a request to solicit vendors to design and develop a new family portal and case management system for the state’s child care financial assistance programs. The Child Care Financial Assistance Modernization project was provided for in Governor Maura Healey’s FutureTech Act, which she signed into law earlier this year. These efforts aim to build a more modern, mobile-friendly, accessible, multilingual, and dignified child care financial assistance technology system, reducing barriers for families seeking assistance paying for child care and making it easier for child care providers to administer the programs. 

“It is exciting to see our FutureTech Act at work, designing a more modern and easy-to-use child care financial assistance system so parents can get help paying for care while reducing administrative burdens for our hardworking child care providers,” said Governor Maura Healey. “I want to thank the Legislature for their support of this important bill and continued efforts in promoting accessible and affordable child care.” 

“Accessible and affordable child care is a top priority for our administration, and child care financial assistance is a key tool in these efforts. Through our FutureTech Act, we are going to support parents to apply for help paying for care at the times and locations that work for them, so their kids can get a high-quality education and they can work or participate in education and training,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. 

This child care financial assistance modernization project builds on the administration’s meaningful progress in creating a more modern and dignified system. However, the underlying technical systems supporting these programs are out of date, and families and child care providers must navigate multiple systems to accomplish just one task. Through these efforts, families ultimately will be able to apply quickly for and receive financial assistance through an easy-to use, mobile-friendly and multilingual application. It will also enable families to easily update information when needed, at the time and location that works best for them.  

For child care providers, this will enable a unified case management system, including managing the child care financial assistance waitlist, application and eligibility determination, and payments. Further, through updated technology systems, EEC will be better prepared to data-share with other agencies, reducing the burden on families and providers and streamlining the eligibility process. It also sets EEC up to work with other agencies on Integrated Eligibility and Enrollment so there is no wrong door for Massachusetts residents accessing government services.  

“Creating a new child care financial assistance IT system will support our continued efforts to expand access to help paying for care and making government services more user and mobile friendly,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “Improving access to early education and care for all families in the communities in which they live, learn and work is key to strengthening our economy and creating a more affordable and competitive Commonwealth.”  

“The Child Care Financial Assistance Modernization Project is a great example of Information Technology serving as a driver of policy creation and enactment,” said Technology Services and Security Secretary Jason Snyder. “We are proud to be able to advance the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s priorities through IT modernization, and we are so thrilled to see that the FutureTech Act is already at work for our state’s families and child care providers.”

“Through regulations, policy, and several IT improvements, we shifted our child care financial assistance programs to be easier and more accessible, eliminating barriers and creating a more modern and flexible system, including through launching text message communications. We have made critical strides forward – and Governor Healey’s FutureTech Act is now helping us transform the system into what all of our families and providers deserve,” said Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw. 

In October 2023, EEC issued a comprehensive package of revised child care financial assistance regulations and policies to simplify the application process, reduce paperwork, and better support homeless families, families with disabilities and families facing domestic violence. This focused on centering the experiences of the families and restructuring operations, policies, and procedures to modernize and improve the experience for parents and providers. Improvements also included launching email and texting campaigns with families to reach them directly and support them throughout the process of accessing financial assistance.

ITS81 Category 3 vendors can find the RFQ on COMMBUYS.

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